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The Tree of Life, the acacia tree of Abydos, is dying. It is believed that if this tree dies, Egypt will die. Therefore, the pharaoh and his people are trying everything to save the tree. There are seven priestesses of the goddess Hathor, whose primary responsibility is to care for this tree and bring it back to life. This is not enough to save the tree or Egypt. One of the branches is green but the rest of the tree is dying. Unknown to Pharaoh Sesostris or his security force, three individuals are plotting the pharaoh's downfall. One is a desert man named Herald who has the power of the minority races in Egypt. He wants the power that pharaoh has and will let nothing stand in his way. He has convinced his followers that all the evil that has touched them and Egypt is the fault of the pharaoh. A member of the Pharaoh's court has been assisting some of Herald's men, but he wants the power the Pharaoh has as well. This ambitious traitor will not allow Herald to steal the fame he seeks. They might be partners up to a point, yet they cannot both win. The third individual is that of Iker, a scribe on his way up the ranks. He has been deceived by lies and false appearances. Iker believes the pharaoh was responsible for his kidnapping years before and that the time for revenge is now. Iker must find the truth in order to save Egypt before it is too late. This book has a lot of actions and plots occurring in a relatively small number of pages. The story follows Iker, the pharaoh, the priestesses of Hathor, Herald and his tribe of followers as well as a few other minor characters. All of these characters interact but they all have their own individual stories to tell as well. As Jacq has numerous characters traveling and conspiring, he sacrifices depth and detail in order to include all of these tangents. It is true that THE CONSPIRACY OF EVIL is more of an epic than a traditional mystery or thriller, but the book's focus is still too broad -- or the book is too short. If Jacq had limited himself to one or two characters, he could have provided more details to make the book richer and more developed. Having one or two characters came to life is one of the best ways to get readers hooked. This critique might be the result of this being the second book in an ongoing series. It is possible that Jacq is just trying to get all of the characters introduced. If he intends to write several more books in the series, it might be necessary, for future books, that all of these events and characters are introduced now. Even if that were the case, the book would be more cohesive if this story was presented in a slightly different manner. THE CONSPIRACY OF EVIL is the second book in the Mysteries of Osiris series. The first book is THE TREE OF LIFE.
Reviewed by Sarah Dudley, June 2005
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Contact: Yvonne Klein (ymk@reviewingtheevidence.com)
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